Wine of the Week: 2006 Masperla Priorat

Well, well another Wine Wednesday and making a splash in the pool as the Wine of the Week is the 2006 Masperla Priorat, a wonderful Grenache based blend, which most likely had a little Cariñena  [Carignan] added because it's naturally high in acidity, tannins and plays well Grenache. I picked this little Misa Imports gem up the other day from my local Costco here in San Diego, they constantly seem to come up with the occasional Spanish wine, that I just can't pass up. 

These wines are produced from vines which grow on a mostly slate soils, stretched out over rough rocky terraced vineyards which are very hard to work [hence many of the hefty price tags], but produce some of the very best wines from one of Spain's smallest; but one its most important in terms of quality and concentration of unique flavors. In the course of writing this quick review I came across a couple of great websites.

One with many pictures of what the region looks like and the other called 
Vinopedia which gives a succinct bio on many wine regions around the world, including the Priorat D.O.C. Frankly, I've not had a single bad wine from this region and when I can find these wines for under twenty dollars I scoop up as many as my wallet can afford, in a somewhat veiled attempt of keeping Mrs. Cuvee from knowing I've once more scored some vino to add to my [our] 
already over-flowing stash at Chez Vino.

In the glass a very dark ruby colored, after uncorking the bottle, swishing and swirling in the glass, my nose is immediately greeted by rich blackberry, dark ripe cherries, a pinch of rich black licorice. Now that the coming attraction is over; it's time for the initial splash-down on the old palate and whoa this this is a lot of well structured, tasty wine that will pair nicely with just about anything off the grill. The flavor rain trucks in a load of plump blackberry, dark plum, rich mocha and some dusty minerality in the background. This wine is drinking fab right now, but putting this wine in the cellar for a year or two would be a smart move.

A juicy, yet truly expansive wine which shows off nicely in the strong finish, with just a subtle touch of sweetness and zero rough edges. Imagine my surprise that the review of this by Wine Speculator [who gave it 92 points] actually matched what was in the bottle, proving that do get it right sometimes. Oh, I paid just under $20 for this wine, but it would appear the inventory is pretty limited, so you may just wanna hurry to get your own bottle or not, it leaves more for me [ha]. Until next time sip long and prosper, cheers!

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